Sewer opener



June 17, 1941. 1 G. McKEN'zlE SEWER OPENER 2 sneetis-sheet 1 Filed Feb. 3, 1938 R S wwe n mM m me m A m m June 17, 1941./ `L G, MCKENZIE 2,246,056

SEWER OPENER Filed Feb. 3, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fea.

y INVENTOR. en/1s G. Mc/fenz/e.

ATT OR Patented June 17, 1941 OFFICE I SEWER OPENER Lewis G. McKenzie, Columbus, Ohio, assigner of one-half to Henry Maess, Columbus, Ohio Application February 3, 1938, Serial No. 188,537

7 Claims. @L15-104.30)

My invention relates to a vsewer opener. It has to do, more particularly, with a device which is adapted to be used for dislodging and removing obstructions from sewers or other conduits. How# ever, my device might be used for other purposes.

In the prior art no satisfactory device has been provided for dislodging and removing obstructions from sewers. It is the usual practice in attempting to open clogged sewers, to employ an ordinary cable or wire which is forced into the sewer and by means of which it is attempted to remove the obstruction. Sometimes, the cable or wire is pro-vided. with some sort of tool' on the end thereof. The cable is necessarily flexible and, consequently, cannot be used successfully as a ramming tool because it is not stii enough. Also, because of 4its ilexibility itis sometimes diiiicult to position it in the sewer. Furthermore, the tools provided on the inner end of the cable have not been such that they could Ybe operated to positively grip the obstructing material so that it could be withdrawn from the sewer. There is a need for a device which can be readilyA inserted in a sewer and which may be used to quickly and efficiently dislodge and remove obstructions therefrom.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a device for dislodgingxand removing obstructions from sewers which is of a very simple structure and will be economical to manufacture and which Vis very eiicient for the purposes for which it is intended.

Another object of my invention is 4to provide a device which is of such a nature that it may be readily positioned in the sewer butY which is also of such a nature that it can be successfully used for dislodging the obstructing material' and for positively gripping it to remove it from the sewer pipe.

In its preferred form my invention contemplates the provision of a cable having a tool secured to the inner end thereof. This tool may be of such a type that it can be operated to grip the obstructing material in the sewer. On the cable I preferably provide .a plurality of loosely mounted balls or beads. These balls or beads are so mounted that they may rbe moved longitudinally of the cable. On the outer end of the cable I provide a toggle device secured thereto which is adapted to be operated for forcing all of the beads or balls tightly together. This causes the cable to become stii so that it may be used as a ramming tool. Also, forcing ofthe beads together is adapted to actuate the gripping tool so that it will grip the obstructing material. The

toggle device is adjustable so that the force tending to keep the beads in contact with each-other can be increased or decreased and thereby the stiifness of the device can be varied to meet various conditions.

v The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corre-` sponding parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective lview of a device made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a view showing my device positioned in a sewer pipe.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the forward part of the device showing a gripping tool' and actuating means therefor.

Figure 4 is a detail mainly in section showing how the device may be bent after the beads are forced together.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the toggle device which is adapted to be used to force thebeads tightly together. y

Figure 6 illustrates a different type of gripping tool which may be mounted on the inner end of the device.

Figure '7 illustrates a still different type of gripping tool.

Figure 8 illustrates another tool.

Figure 9 shows a bead of a different shape.

Figure 10 shows another toggle device adapted to be positioned at any desired location along the cable.

With reference to the drawings and particu- :formv of gripping i larly to Figure l, I have illustrated my device as comprising a cable I upon which a plurality of beads or ball's 2 are disposed. These ballsare provided with central openings extending therethrough and through which the cable I passes. The balls or beads are loosely mounted on the cable so that they may be moved longitudinally of the cable. The balls or 'beads are preferably madeof wood so that they will float. They are preferably treated, for example, by dipping them in -parafliney so that they will be water-resistant and will not become water-soaked. Each of the balls or beads 2 is preferably mainly of spherical form although, as illustrated best in Figure 4, each end of the ball or bead is flattened as indicated 'Ihe inner end of rthe cable I preferably has some form of tool secured thereto. This tool may take the form of the grippingv tool indicated by the numeral 4 in Figure l1. As illustrated in Figure 3, this gripping tool 4 comprises a.l plurality of tong members or gripping members 5. These members have their inner ends converging and secured to a cylindrical member 5, as at 'I. The outer ends of these members 5 are free and diverge. A frusto-conical sleeve 8 is mounted on the member 5 for movementI longitudinally thereof. It will be apparent from Figure 3 that when this member 8 is moved outwardly, the members 5 will be forced towards each other. When the member 8 is moved in the opposite direction, the members 5 will be permitted to move outwardly away from each other. The member 6 is provided with a threaded socket in its outer end which receives a threaded extension 9 projecting from a short cylindrical portion I0. A setscrew II may be provided for locking the extension 9 in the threaded socket. The member I is adapted to be secured to the inner end of the cable I, as indicated at I2.

A number of the beads or balls 2 adjacent the gripping tool 4 are provided with metal sleeves or bushings I3 in the central openings provided in the beads. diameter to permit movement of the beads over the cylindrical members 6 and I0. It will be apparent that the innermost bead member will abut the outer end of the sleeve 8. The sleeves I3 will prevent wear on the beads. A compression spring I4 is provided in surrounding relation to the cable I. The inner end of this spring abuts the outer end of the member I6. The outer end of this spring abuts a bushing I5 provided in a bead disposed adjacent the outer end of the spring. The opening through this particular bead as well as all the other beads from this point outwardly along the cable, is of less diameter than the sleeves I3. The sleeves I3 are of suflicient diameter to permit movement also over the spring I4. When the beads are forced towards the gripping tool, the innermost bead will con- These sleeves I3 are of a sufficient Y tact with the sleeve 8 forcing it to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 3 and thereby operating the gripping tool. At the same time the spring I4 will be compressed by the bead contacting with the outer end thereof. As soon as the pressure tending to force the beads together is released, the spring I4 will force most of the beads in the opposite direction and will permit the gripping members 5 to swing outwardly. The bead with the bushing I5 is so disposed that it will not completely compress the spring I4 against the outer end of member ID before the gripping tool is actuated.

The means for forcing the bead members tightly together comprises a toggle device I5 secured to the outer end of the cable. This device I6, as illustrated best in Figure 5, comprises a rod I'I. This rod I'I has its inner end secured to the cable as at I8. The rod has a sleeve I9 mounted thereon for movement longitudinally relative thereto. This sleeve I9 carries lugs 2O to which is pivotally connected, as at 2l, the lower end of a lever and handle member 22. This member 22 is divided at 23 and is provided with a plurality of spaced sets of transverse openings 24. A lever 25 has its upper end projecting into the divided portion 23 of member 22. A bolt 25 is adapted to pass through the openings 24 and an aligning opening in the end of member 25 in order to pivotally connect member 25 to member 22. The point of pivotal connection may be varied by inserting the bolt 26 in either of the sets of openings 24. The opposite end of the lever 25 is pivotally secured at 26a to a cylindrical member 2'! threaded on the outer end of the rod I'I.

This member 2I is provided with a pair of upstanding lugs 28.

It will be apparent that this structure constitutes a toggle lever mechanism. If the lever 22 is swung downwardly, the sleeve member I9 will be forced inwardly on the rod I'I towards the beads 2. When the member 22 is in its lowermost position, its outer end will be disposed between the lugs 28. A bolt may be passed through aligning openings in these lugs and an opening 29 in the member 22 to lock this member in such position. In order to facilitate holding of the toggle device while member 22 is being swung downwardly, I provide a handle member 35 secured to the member 2l. The member 22 is so formed that when it is in its lowermost position, as indicated in Figure 2, it will serve as a crank by means of which the entire device may be rotated. To facilitate holding of the device during this rotation, I provide a handle member 3! which is rotatably carried by a loosely mounted member 2c on the inner end of rod II.

It will be apparent that when the toggle device is operated, the sleeve I9 will be moved inwardly forcing all of the beads inwardly along the cable and causing all of them to closely abut each other. This will stiffen the cable considerably. Furthermore, it will actuate the gripping tool on the inner end of the cable. The pivotal connection 26 may be adjusted to obtain the required pressure for forcing the beads tightly together. With this adjustment the degree of stilfening produced can be varied to meet various conditions. Due to the fact that the ends of the beads are flattened, as indicated at 3, this will serve to enhance the stiiening action.

In using this device, the toggle device is initially in the position indicated in Figure l. This will allow all of the beads to be loose on the cable and the entire device will be very flexible. The device may then be passed into the sewer pipe. In passing the device in the pipe, in some instances, it may be desirable to leave it extremely flexible. In other cases it may be desirable to have a small degree of stiffness imparted thereto to facilitate positioning in the pipe. If such is the case, the toggle device may be adjusted to impart a slight degree of stiffness to the cable without operating the gripping tool. In other cases it may be desirable for the device to have its maximum stiffness. In either'v event, the toggle device may be adjusted to obtain the required stiffness.

The device is usually passed into the sewer pipe until the gripping tool 4 contacts with the obstructing material. Then the toggle device I6 is preferably operated to force the beads tightly together and to actuate the gripping tool. This will cause the device to become very stili. In this condition it may be used as a ramming device or it may be readily withdrawn to withdraw the tool after it has gripped the obstructing material. As indicated in Figure 4, bending of the cable sufcient to permit removal of the device will be permitted even when the beads are in tight contact. When the cable does bend, as indicated in this ligure, since the ends of the beads are flattened as at 3, this will serve to force the beads more tightly into contact with each other. As previously indicated, the beads are preferably of wood. The beads are of sucient mass that they will cause the entire device to float and will prevent it from dragging along the bottom of the pipe. The device will probably contact with the top of the pipe, as indicated in Figure 2, but if it hits a projection on the top of the pipe it will readily .be forced Vdownwardly Into the water. Thus, frictional resistance .to movement of the device through thepipe is substantially eliminated. It is possible to have the wood beads of such a mass that the entire vdevice will remain partly submerged and will not contact either with the bottom or the top of the sewer pipe.

It is not necessary to have a gripping tool on .the inner end of the device. Some other sort of'tool may be provided. In fact, it .is not necessary to have any tool at all. 'Ihe device couldbe used for yramming obstructions through the pipe and in such case it would not be necessaryto have a tool on the inner end thereof. Forcing of the beads into contact with each other makes the device sufficiently stiff so that it could be used as a ramming device.

I may provide a gripping tool of the type Villustrated in Figure 6. In this form gripping members a are pivotally connected to a cylindrical member 32 as at 33. Springs 34 are provided which contact with the inner ends of members 5a and tend to swing these members so that the outer ends are in their outermost position. The cable I passes through a sleeve 35 provided in the member 32. This cable is connected to each of the members 5a. as at 36 by means of separate strands 31. With this device, when the beads are forced into contact with each other, the cable I r will be pulled outwardly relative to the gripping tool. This will cause the members 5a to be swung inwardly about the pivot points 33. Thus, longitudinal movement of the cable relative to the gripping tool, which is produced by forcing the beads into contact with each other,v will cause actuation of the gripping tool.

In Figure 7 I show a gripping tool which is the same as that illustrated in Figure 3 with the exception that it is provided with a centrally disposed member 38 similar to a corkscrew. When the device is rotated this member 38 will tend t enter the obstructing material.

In Figure 8 I illustrate another type of tool. This tool is provided with gripping members 5b having their inner ends secured to a sleeve 39. A rod d0 is rotatably mounted in this sleeve. This rod 4B has its outer end secured to the cable I as at 4I. Stops 42 and 43 are provided on the rod for preventing longitudinal movement of the sleeve on the rod. A sleeve 8b is provided for actuating the gripping members 5b in exactly the same manner that the sleeve 8 actuates gripping members 5. By turning the cable I, the rod 40 may be rotated relative to the gripping members 5b. The rod may be provided on its outer end with a corkscrew device M and cutting blades 45 helically disposed.

It is preferred that the beads 2 be of the shape illustrated in Figure 4. However, they may be of the shape illustrated in Figure 9, where they are not mainly spherical but are mainly cylindrical. Other shapes of beads may be employed. In fact, cylindrical sleeves or collars may be employed, although I preferthe shape illustrated in Figure 4 because such beads will not have a tendency to catch on projections on the sides of the sewer p1pe.

In some cases, it may be possible to force only a short length of the device into the sewer pipe because the obstruction is near the point of entrance. In such a case, it is desirable tol have an auxiliary toggle device ISa. of the type illustrated in Figure 10 which may be mounted on the cable, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, closely adjacent the point of entrance into the pipe. Thisdevice is practically the same as the device I6 with .the exception that it is not provided'with the rod I1 and is provided with split collars I 9a and 27a rather than members IIS and 21. At the desired point along the cable, the beads may be spread apart suiciently `to permit mounting of this device on the cable. Then when this Adevice is operated the beads will be forced in both directions tightly against each other, stiffening the section of the cable which is in the sewer pipe.

It will be apparent from the above description that I have provided a device having many advantages. 'Ihe device is simple and is easy to use;

It may be rendered extremely exible or any' desired degree of stiffness may be imparted thereto. The gripping tool when used may be readily actuated after it is positioned in the pipe so that it will positively grip the obstructing material. Since the beads are made of wood, the entire device vwill float in the water in the pipe. This will reducethe frictional resistance to movement of the device through the pipe. Although the device will be stiff after the beads are forced into contact with each other, sufficient bending will be permitted to facilitate removal of the obstructions from the pipe. The beads are so shaped that they will not tend to catch on anything 0n the sides of the pipe. The toggle device is of such a nature that it may be locked in position to hold the beads in rm contact with each other. Furthermore, the toggle device may be adjusted to vary the pressure produced on the beads.

Many other advantages will be apparent from the preceding description, the drawings and the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A device of the type described comprising a cable, a gripping tool secured to one end of said cable and embodying a plurality of movable gripping members, means for stiifening said cable and simultaneously moving said gripping members into operative position, said means comprising a plurality of members surrounding said cable and adapted to be moved longitudinally thereof, means for forcing said members tightly into contact with each other, and springs for forcing said gripping members into inoperative position as soon as said last-named means is rendered inoperative.

2. A device of the type described comprising a exible cable, a gripping member on the end of said cable, a multiplicity of units carried by said cable, and means for crowding said units together to render the cable stiff and for actuating said gripping device.

3. A device of the type described comprising a cable, a gripping tool secured to one end of the cable and adapted to be actuated by pressure applied to the inner end thereof, a plurality of members mounted on said cable for movement longitudinally relative thereto, and means for forcing said members tightly into contact with each other and for moving them relative to said cable to actuate said gripping tool by pressure transmitted by said members along the cable and to said inner end of the gripping tool.

4. A device of the type described comprising a cable, a gripping tool secured to one end of the cable and adapted to be actuated by pressure applied to the inner end thereof, a plurality of mernbers mounted on said cable for movement longisaid members tightly into contact with each other and for moving them relative to said cable to actuate said gripping tool by pressure transmitted by said members along the cable and to said inner end of the gripping tool, said means being adjustable to vary the pressure of contact between said members.

5. A device of the type described comprising a cable, a gripping tool secured to one end of the cable and adapted to be' actuated by pressure ap plied to the inner end thereof, a plurality of bead members mounted on said cable for movement longitudinally relative thereto, and means for forcing said bead members tightly into contact with each other and for moving them relative to said cable to actuate said gripping tool by pressure transmitted by said members along the cable and to said inner end of the gripping tool and to simultaneously stiien the cable.

6. A device of the type described comprising a cable, a gripping tool secured to one end of the cable and adapted to be actuated by pressure applied to the inner end thereof, a plurality of bead members mounted on said cable for movement longitudinally relative thereto, and a toggle device secured to said cable for forcing said bead members tightly into contact with each other and for moving them relative to said cable to actuate said gripping tool by pressure transmitted by said members along the cable and to said inner end of the gripping tool and to simultaneously stiften the cable.

7. A device of the type described comprising a cable, a gripping tool secured to one end of the cable and adapted to be actuated by pressure applied to theinner end thereof, a plurality of bead members mounted on said cable for movement longitudinally relative thereto, and a toggle device secured to said cable for forcing said bead members tightly into contact With each other and for moving them relative to said cable to actuate said gripping tool by pressure transmitted by said members along the cable and to said inner end of the gripping tool and to simultaneously stiien the cable, said toggle device being adjustable to vary the pressure produced thereby.

LEWS G. MCKENZIE. 

